Are you trying to lose weight? Or maybe just trying to be healthier?
Either way, you may be wondering if you should hire a health coach to help you reach your goals. A health coach can be a big decision both for your time and your money, but it is one of the best decisions you can make.
Read on to learn more about why you need a health coach and how a health coach can help you to achieve your goals.
What is a Health Coach?
Health coaches are people who have studied everything from nutrition to exercise and understand how both of these affect the body.
A health coach will take the time to listen to your problems, concerns, and goals, then develop a personalized plan to help you achieve them. This plan can include everything from what foods to eat when, exercise, and even tips for you to develop a healthy mindset.
Sometimes you may hear the term, holistic health coach. Generally, these terms are interchangeable, but every now and then (especially in the social media world), you will find “health coaches” who are bodybuilders who recommend protein powder and pills. These are not the health coaches you want to hire to help you, as these people do not promote lasting or sustainable weight loss.
You will also want to avoid working with a “fitness coach.” While they may help you get in shape, a fitness coach is really just a personal trainer, and they won’t provide all of the help you need in order to achieve your goals.
What Does a Health Coach Do?
As mentioned above, a health coach is an individual in the health industry who works to develop personalized health plans for their clients. When you hire a health coach, you are hiring a partner in your health journey. They are there to both create your health plan and check in frequently to make adjustments and help you achieve your goal.
A health coach will help you will all of the following:
Developing a diet plan
Making an exercise schedule
Discussing your sleep habits
Helping you develop a healthy mentality
Assistance with quitting drinking or smoking cigarettes
Tips for time management
Encouragement and check-ins
As you can see, a health coach goes far beyond just someone who makes a diet plan for you. They are your personal cheerleader who wants you to get on top of your health.
Why You Need a Health Coach
It can be easy to brush off the idea of hiring a health coach, but the truth is you are unlikely to get the guidance or help you need without one. This is for several reasons, which we have outlined below.
1. Everyone is Different
Do you remember when you were a child, and your mother told you that you were unique? Well, it’s true. Everyone’s body is different, and therefore the way we lose weight and the food that is healthy for us varies.
No one diet will work for everyone. It is as simple as that. For example, some people feel better when they eat vegetarian food because their stomach has trouble digesting meat. Others constantly feel hungry if they don’t have at least one serving of meat a day.
A health coach can help you navigate finding a healthy diet that is good for you and makes you feel great. A general diet plan doesn’t have this capability.
2. Health Coaches Go Far Beyond Diet
You might think that losing weight just means restricting your calories, but the reality is a healthy lifestyle is so much more than what you eat. It is also how you act and how you sleep.
A health coach will look at all aspects of your life, help you develop an exercise plan that works for you, and give you some tips for better sleep. All of these factors combined will go so much further than simply paying to complete some fad diet and being disappointed when it doesn’t work.
Health coaches can also help you with difficult challenges, like quitting smoking or even teaching you to have better time management–both of which are aspects of a healthy lifestyle that a simple nutritionist won’t be able to help you with.
3. You Need Someone to Cheer You On
Harvard Medical has performed numerous studies, and the results are always the same. When you have someone to check in on you and cheer for you on a daily basis, you are much more likely to achieve your goals.
A health coach is going to be with you every step of the way, which will help ensure you achieve your goals. They will be there to remind you of what you are going for even when you have a tough day. They are also there when your life changes, and therefore your health plan needs to change too (when a woman becomes pregnant, for example).
4. Health Coaches Help Your Mentality
You may have heard that in order to be healthy, you need to have a healthy mentality-and this is 100% true! You can’t change your life while you are still processing thoughts in the exact way you were before.
Just as a health coach goes far beyond diet, they will also delve into the mentality part of having a healthy lifestyle. They can guide you through processes like meditation and journaling to help you overcome any difficult hurdles you may have in your emotional life. This is something you can’t get from a book or a movie as this is highly individualized and will need to be adjusted as you process your emotions.
5. The Advice You Receive is Safe
Here at RxHealthyHabits we cannot begin to tell you how many unsafe diets there are on the market. Just because a fad diet is popular does not make it safe.
Not to mention that many of these fad diets are not sustainable, meaning the minute you stop following them to have a bite of cake at a wedding, the weight comes right back on.
When you hire a health coach, you will not receive any advice along the lines of “don’t eat” or “drink all your meals,” among other advice that is a recipe for disaster. Instead, a health coach will tell you how much of each food group to eat and when a form of dieting that is completely healthy and 100% sustainable.
Editor’s Note: A proper health coach will never tell you to try pills or other fad diets as a form of weight loss.
6. The Healthcare System is Overstressed
Thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare workers are overworked and overstressed. So even while a nutritionist may help you make a diet plan to start, they likely won’t be available to help you as you implement the diet.
This means you may follow the diet for a while, but you will likely stray the minute you head on vacation or have a special event to attend. A health coach can help you prepare for these events and help you navigate them without ruining everything you’ve worked so hard to attain.
Not to mention that if you don’t have health insurance, hiring a health coach is cheaper than paying for regular visits to a dietician or nutritionist. Meaning you will save money while receiving better service.
7. A Health Coach Sees Beyond the Scale
Losing weight is tough, and while a traditional doctor may chastise you for there is no change on the scale between appointments, a health coach will know all that you’ve been doing and cheer on your progress.
Weight loss isn’t linear. And if you just go to the gym, you might actually see the scale rise. Why? Well, muscle is more dense than fat. That means if you start exchanging fat for muscle, you may see a higher number on the scale even as you get more fit.
Health coaches know this, which is why they will also encourage you to take other measurements, such as body composition or use a measuring tape around your waist. All of these measures together (including the scale) are what a health coach will use to track your progress.
Plus, a health coach knows that building your confidence is part of the process, and they will know how to encourage you when the numbers don’t change between measurements.
8. They Help You Set Goals
You may want to lose 90 pounds in 1 month, but it’s not going to happen.
A health coach will help you set realistic goals for yourself, goals which you can actually achieve. This way, you won’t be missing your goals by a mile and become upset at yourself for not making the milestones you set for yourself.
9. Losing Weight is Tough
Losing weight and living a healthier life isn’t easy, and you need someone who understands what you are going through. Chances are, your friend who can still eat cake every night and go out binge drinking isn’t going to understand why you can’t come along.
A health coach will be there for you to discuss your worries and concerns. Health coaches often also have connections with other people who are on the same journey as you. This means that they can connect you to people who know what you are going through, and they will be there every step of the way.
Learn more about why you need a health coach in your YouTube video!
How Much Does a Health Coach Cost?
The cost of a health coach will widely depend on the type of help you are needing as well as how long your program will take. Most health coaches have preset packages that you pay for on either a weekly or monthly basis.
Some people may just want a consultation, and typically health coaches charge by the hour for these. Take the time to find out what the consultation includes and whether you just need one, or multiple, to get a diet and exercise plan.
Curious about what you should expect from a health coach consultation? Contact us, we are happy to help.
What to Look For in a Health Coach
When you hire a health coach, you are hiring someone that you will have a long-term relationship with. This means you want to pick a health coach who you get along with well and who you enjoy talking to.
You also want to look for the following characteristics:
Someone who is accredited and knowledgeable in the field
Someone who has lots of options for you to choose from (not just demands)
They should listen to you
Their coaching style should match your learning style
Someone who is knowledgeable about a special diet you may require (such as gluten-free for celiacs)
Someone who can help you with all aspects of your life.
Remember, when you choose a health coach, it should be a decision on both sides. Your health coach should feel passionate about working with you, just as you should be excited to work with them.
How to Find a Health Coach
Thanks to the internet, gone are the days when you need to Google “health coach near me” because you can hire a health coach to help you from anywhere in the world! While you might still want to find one that understands your location (i.e., the weather in your state), there is no reason you can’t hire a health coach from anywhere.
Here at RxHealthyHabits, we are ready to help you no matter where you reside. Head on over to our main page and fill out our health survey to get started. (Don’t worry, all information we collect is kept private–it’s just for us to help you on your health journey!)
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